TEDxFortWayne Mark Bly The Accidental Reinvention of School

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TEDxFortWayne Mark Bly The Accidental Reinvention of School

SPEAKER: 1997-2001: Graduates 4/243 at BDHS (moved to Fort Wayne in 1997), President of National Honors Society, Captain of baseball & cross country teams, Assistant editor of yearbook/newspaper, etc. 2001: Awarded Alumni Distinguished Scholarship from Michigan State University (tuition, room & board, books, and stipend) for demonstrated leadership, academic achievement, and ability to cause a positive impact on peers (awarded to 12 of ~12,000 incoming freshman). 2001-2005: Played varsity baseball at MSU while a member of the Honors College. 2006-Present: Dean of Academics and head math/science instructor at New American Youth Ballet & Conservatory in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founding member with sister (Dean of Ballet). Focus on designing programs to be inherently & self-sufficiently productive. Significant public speaking experience (graduation, orientation, annual meetings, news interviews, etc). 2010-2012: Studying for MS in Mathematics (in progress, current GPA 4.0)...expected to begin PhD elsewhere in Fall 2012. TOPIC: The Accidental Reinvention of School The success that the school has experienced is a product of the design of the program as much as anything else. By offering a rigorous ballet curriculum, the students are inherently motivated and self-disciplined. As a result, the academic teachers do not have to assign homework with the intention of developing work ethic with intellectual development being the primary focus. By restricting enrollment, students receive individual attention and teachers are personally invested into each students' growth and development. As a result, a tight-knit community is developed where everyone works constructively toward the common goal of progress. All the while, without a bus system and operating with a limited budget, the school demands that parents become engaged in the lives of their children having to transport them to/from school and in the life of the school by having to help us raise funds. Ultimately, the model demands engagement, necessitates individual attention, and ensures self-discipline and motivation are never an issue. While never focusing directly on the growth of the school as an administration, the school has done nothing but just that. Meanwhile, by focusing attention to the students and their development, they become independent members of the whole, capable of naturally transitioning into a life where they can positively affect society as a whole. What is TEDx? In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxFortWayne, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxFortWayne event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized. This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.

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